TAMPA — Instant reactions from the Red Sox’ win over the Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field:

1) The Red Sox temporarily stopped the bleeding Friday, following a highly disappointing homestand that saw them go 2-4. They got a go-ahead two-run homer from Jarren Duran in the seventh inning, erasing a one-run deficit, then erupted — with some help from the Rays — when they added seven insurance runs for an 11-7 victory — just their third win in the last eight games. Run-scoring singles from Nate Eaton and Ceddanne Rafaela, plus a bases loaded walk capped the eighth. The win helped the Red Sox keep some distance between themselves and the white-hot Cleveland Guardians, their closest wild card competitors. A grand slam by Everson Pereira in the ninth made the game seem closer than it was.

2) On their recent homestand, the Red Sox struggled mightily with runners in scoring position, going 9-for-54 in such situations. That translates to a .167 batting average. The Red Sox found a way around that Friday — they didn’t get many opportunities at all with runners in scoring position until the big eighth inning. Through the first six innings, they were 0-for-2, and finished 3-for-10 though it should be noted that they also stranded 10 baserunners.

3) This was not the dominant effort the Sox hoped to get from Garrett Crochet. He allowed runs in each of the first three innings, including two solo homers. He also racked up seven strikeouts in the first four innings, evidence that the stuff was still dominant — at times. But there were a lot of hard-hit balls off him, as there were last Sunday against the Yankees, and also three walks. Whether it’s late-season fatigue or just poor location, the lefty hasn’t been nearly as sharp this month.

4) Trevor Story has picked a really inopportune time to go into a slump at short. Story was charged with two throwing errors in Thursday’s loss to the Athletics and both led to unearned runs scoring. Then, Friday night, he skipped a throw in the dirt in the sixth which Nathaniel Lowe couldn’t scoop, allowing Nick Fortes to reach. Story has been pretty steady most of the year at short, but these errors couldn’t have come at a worse time.

5) Give some credit to aggressive third base coach Kyle Hudson. In the second inning, with Nate Eaton on first and Nathaniel Lowe at the plate and no outs, Lowe drilled a sharp single to right-center. Eaton was off with the pitch, and as he hit third, Hudson waved him home. Eaton slid and just beat the throw for the first Red Sox run of the night. It was a gutsy call, especially with no outs. But Hudson was probably thinking about the team’s struggles with runners in scoring position the last few weeks and decided to take the gamble, which paid off.

6) There were signs of life from Ceddanne Rafaela, who’s fallen into a sinkhole at the plate in the second half, but responded with four hits. He had a sharp double to right in the third, followed it with a hard-hit single to left to lead off the seventh, scoring ahead of Duran’s two-run homer that followed and later added a single in the big eighth and another in the ninth. The multi-hit game was his first since Sept. 2 and stood as the third four-hit game of his career.

7) This was the rare night when the Red Sox could have lined up their high-leverage relievers the way they wished, with Justin Slaten handling seventh-inning duties and Garrett Whitlock warming for the eighth and, presumably, closer Aroldis Chapman available for the ninth. But the seven-run eighth changed everything and Zack Kelly got the call in the eighth. Slaten’s 1-2-3 inning was particularly encouraging, as the Sox have been searching for a second reliable righty to pair with Whitlock for some time. As it was, when Chris Murphy allowed four runs plus two more hits, Chapman had to get up anyway in the ninth.

8) The teams will play the middle game of their weekend series Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. The game will feature the first Red Sox start by Kyle Harrison (1-1, 4.05), whose debut for the team came in relief in Sacramento during the last road trip. The lefty will be opposed by RHP Adrian Houser (8-4, 3.11), a veteran whom the Rays acquired at the trade deadline.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.